Perceptions of Security Issues, Social Processes, and the Police in Urban Neighbourhoods - The Case of Ljubljana

Abstract

This paper presents perceptions of residents in urban neighbourhoods regarding security issues, social processes, and the police. In 2017, a community survey was implemented in the city of Ljubljana, the largest urban area in Slovenia, and face-to-face interviews were conducted with 1.000 residents living in low-risk and high-risk neighbourhoods. The data analysis showed differences in residents' perceptions among low-risk and high-risk neighbourhoods, where residents of low-risk neighbourhoods perceived less crime and neighbourhood disorder. Regarding social processes in neighbourhoods, residents of low-risk neighbourhoods expressed a higher level of social cohesion, more positive attitudes toward migrants and less perceived youth deviance. In the examination of perceptions of police, residents of low-risk neighbourhoods experienced more procedural justice, greater effectiveness of the police, and were more willing to cooperate with them. In the discussion, the findings of the study are summarized, the main limitations of the study are outlined, and implications for further research are proposed.